A GMC with a priceless story.

My name is Ricky Jimenez. Back in October i purchased a 1996 GMC K1500 Sierra Z71. I purchased the truck from a local 94 year old guy who had an interesting to go along with the truck. Back in mid 1995 his daughter had purchased the truck for her husband. When he saw the truck in magazines he had to have one. He wanted the "hot rod" package. For his birthday she ordered him his dream truck. On the factory build sheet she ordered him a 1996 GMC K1500 Z71 SLE black on black equipped with a 5.7 350, 373 rear, 5 speed, and just about every option available at the time. It was his dream truck that was meticulously cared for. Sadly 2 months later he was killed in a construction accident. His wife was certain she wanted to keep the truck and drive it because it was her husbands baby. Not able to drive stick, she took the truck back to GM and had it converted back to automatic and spent 10,000$ on the conversion. once she realized how expensive the gas was she sold it to her father who was in love with the truck. He also flawlessly maintained it. Every morning when the sun was out and the rain was far away he said, i'd pull it out of the garage and take it to mcdonalds and have some food and coffee with my buddies. This truck was never exposed to rain or snow in 16 years. one morning i strolled on down to mcdonalds to get some food and spotted the truck and couldn't help but realize how clean and brand new this thing looked. he even covered the entire interior with bed sheets to protect everything. i offered to buy it off him and said name your price. As he told us the story behind this truck it made me want it that much more. he said 4500 and you take it home. i raced home grabbed the cash and went for it. before i went and picked up he waxed it and cleaned it up which was above and beyond what i was expecting. he kept a little notebook in the glove box with records down to every oil change, tire rotation, and service that was done. he had had many previous offer to sell the truck but refused because he was so emotionally attached to it. He made me promise to him that this truck would always be garage kept and cared for to the best of my ability. when i brought it home i put on the wheels, lights and everything aftermarket you see. He came to my house a week later and couldn't believe how drastically the truck had changed and loved it and offered me 10,000$ to buy it back. i told him i couldn't, that i was now emotionally attached to the truck and loved it. Every once in awhile he will stop at my house to see the truck and hear it run. After installing a dual flowmasters on it he would say let them flowmasters sing! this truck is one of kind and there are very few left out there that were cared for and loved like this thing was.

Wow what a story. You are very lucky to get such a nice truck and it looks great with the wheels. Welcome to the GMTC I think you will find this site to be very helpful and there are a lot of very good people on here ready and willing to help you with any of your projects or problems you may run into. Enjoy the site, Wow what a nice truck!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, what a story. I'm amazed that the seller actually sold it. I'm also amazed that the man wasn't disappointed with the fact that you added aftermarket accessories. If I were you I would be nervous that the old man would drive by on a day that the truck was dirty which would make him furious. It is good so see that people still actually care about there vehicles and try to keep them in the best condition. Today's temp was less than 30 degrees w/ 14 mph winds; I had to take my truck to the car wash/spray booth. I thought I was crazy until 2 young boys were in the booth, 1 in a t-shirt, working together to get their car washed.
Those who care about the interior just as much as the exterior add to the level in which they care about the condition of their vehicle. The part where the old man covered the interior w/ a sheet reminds me of my level of insanity about being nervous that my seat covers would get dirty, LOL. Congrats on the truck and keep us posted if anything happens to her. It's nice to see a stepside looking this great as they are my favorite.

thanks guys! it's one of those trucks you never get rid of. since the day I bought it has never been dirty. if he drove by and that thing was dirty I think he would have a fit haha. sometime this week I'm changing up the exhaust a little by installing dual flowmaster 10 serie, can't wait!